The world’s smallest hydrogen car hits the showroom floor

May 19, 2006 Educational toys are a gift that keeps giving for a whole lifetime and every now and again we see a toy that makes the perfect educational gift. It’s no secret that the hydrogen economy is dawning and hydrogen fuel cells will play a major role in the future energy equation of the planet. Similarly, 75% of the jobs which school age children will do have not yet been invented. Add all that together and its an unavoidable conclusion that the H-racer offers a compelling gift for any child at just US$80. The H-Racer hits the market next month as the world’s smallest hydrogen car and comes with its own matching Hydrogen Refueling Station. As a toy, it is a simple construction kit (no soldering required) within a valuable educational context. As a promotional gift, it combines concept, design and practicality, allowing observation of the car’s fuel tank filling up with Hydrogen. As a new energy kit, the car clearly demonstrates how to obtain unlimited storable fuel from just water and sun, then powering a car with it using a fuel cell. Manufacturer Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies makes a range of commercial and industrial fuel cell products and is hence seeking international distribution partners.

The Hydrogen Refueling Station supplies very small quantities of hydrogen fuel to the H-racer’s fuel tank. When producing fuel “on tap”, the refueling station is visually dynamic with flashing blue LEDs in the water tank and bubbles rising through the pure water. The fuel is produced from water using energy from the sun (solar panel included).

The volume of Hydrogen stored in the H-racer is very small and safe that adds to the concept of just how efficient this cutting-edge technology is.
The H-racer is the working miniature version of what is being developed in real-size cars of the future. This palm-size fuel cell car contains an onboard hydrogen storage tank, a fuel cell system connected to the car’s electric motor, and a hydrogen refueling system linking the car’s storage tank to an external hydrogen refueling station.Given its small size, the H-racer is also very safe as only tiny quantities of hydrogen are needed to power the car.